Eyes of the Republic
by Mistran
Summary: Followup to Eyes of the Empire. 30 years after the Empire's defeat at Yavin IV, the Sapphire Force is once again created, this time in the name of the Republic. But when a cult appears, the soldiers are forced to reveal deep secrets.
1. A Tragic Turn of Events

A new batch of recruits had just arrived to the New Republic facility on the planet of Felucia.

Going through the papers of the recruits, Colonel San'her found a group of interesting recruits. Writing their names down, he called in one of the guards.

"Captain Rert, find these recruits. Have them ready by midnight on the training course", he handed the datachip.

Rert saluted, "Yes sir".

--

**Training Course, Near Midnight, Felucia**

Rert arrived with the recruits in time, "Sir, what is your intention?", he carefully asked.

"This is the new Sapphire Force, Captain. And you will lead them", San'her approached the line up. "From left to right, you have Tana Ohil, Lucir Hea, Kana Wing, and Rann Kicelorn", passing each as he mentioned their name.

Rert raised an eyebrow, "Kicelorn? As in General Kicelorn's son?"

San'her nodded and smiled, "He asked for it as his retirement gift that his son should be in the reborn Sapphire Force". He continued back to his first position.

"Your first assignment will be to follow up on a lead from a secret source. Rodian mercenary, Ikni San'th, escaped our prison facility on Kashyyyk four day ago. He was apparently spotted hanging around on Yavin 4. Hea and Ohil, go to the Kicelorn Retreat and see if the General has heard anything"

San'her turned to Rann and Kana, "You two will infiltrate a compound in the jungle. Of course you'll need to pose as a couple, but i suppose that wont be a problem?".

"Of course not, Sir", Kana assured him.

"Good," he paused before continuing "You will leave tomorrow morning before the sun goes up. Dismissed".

Lucir stopped Rann as he was heading away, "You're lucky"

"Excuse me?"

Lucir let go of his arm, "Kana is sweet. She used to work for the Kuat Shipyards, but her boss weren't too fond of her, and gave her a chance. She declined"

Rann turned around, "And you know this from...?"

"I have sources, you know", Lucir passed him.

--

**Kicelorn Retreat, The following day.**

Thirty years had passed since the Empire's defeat at Yavin. During the time between his exile from the core, and the destruction of the first death star, Zach had been working with the rebellion in secrecy.

Akramar, the ship of Lucir Hea, descended onto landing pad of the Kicelorn Retreat.

Tana looked out the window, "Looks overgrown and abandoned" she remarked.

"It's supposed to be that way. It used to be an Alliance hideout, but the Empire found it. Luckily General Kicelorn was out at that time. But his wife, Shelit Kicelorn, and Rann were at home. According to himself, Rann hid in a secret room under the house, but Shelit had disappeared before he knew it", Lucir explained and turned on the cloak of the ship.

Tana looked suprised, as she turned to Lucir.

Confused, Lucir carefully asked, "What?"

"Shelit Kicelorn was a Twi'Lek, so why doesn't Rann have a Lekku like she did?"

Lucir grinned, "It's a miracle really. Apparently, Rann is more Human than Twi'lek. But he somehow maintained the telepatic abilities of the Twi'lek. Now, let's better go see Zach"

They both left the ship, closing the ramp.

--

**Burhet Compound, Jungle of Yavin IV**

Kana leaned over the table, "So, you see, we need Mister San'th to execute the job. Otherwise it won't be done"

The Sullustan nodded, "I can see that. But i'm afraid San'th is unavailable at the moment"

Loosing his patience, Rann drew his knife and put it to the Sullustans throat, "Tell us where he is now, or you'll never speak again"

Shocked, Kana backed off and locked the door.

"All right! He's somewhere in the Jungle. I think he said he was going to finish a job at the Kicelorn Retreat", he admitted.

Unable to maintain his anger, Rann forced the knife into the Sullustan's leg and turned to Kana, "Come on, we've got to hurry! Lucir and Tana may be in danger"

Kana nodded and unlocked the door, leaving the room as a shot was heard. Rann followed and holstered his pistol.

--

The door was open when Tana and Lucir arrived. In preparation, Lucir put safety off his carbine rifle and checked the surroundings. Kana took her pistol and ventured inside.

She noticed signs of a battle, and abit of blood on the floor. The trail led to a door which had been sealed shut.

She took her commlink, "Lucir, i think General Kicelorn may be hurt. Get the medical equiqment from the ship"

"Affirmative", he responded.

Tana noticed a ventilation shaft on the balcony pumping fresh air into the bedroom where Zach was. Removing the front, she was able to catch a glance of a person on the bed, bleeding.

Instead of waiting, she took her sonic charges and placed them on the wall. Detonating them, the wall was blown inwards, barely missing the bleeding person.

"General!", Tana shouted as she ran up to the bed, only to find him dead from the loss of blood. She turned around, aiming her pistol at the hole as she heard someone approaching.

"Rann?", she asked as he burst through the rubble and ran up to the bed.

Leaning over his fathers body, he stared at the mark on his arm.

"Rann, what's wrong?" Tana asked, also noticing a mark with two knives corssing a skull.

Sighing, Rann looked at her, "This is the symbol for the Kultrian Collapse. It is said that members of this cult was exterminated millions of years ago," he took a brief pause before continuing, "But rumours recently surfaced that followers had started to appear. The man that betrayed my father, Fancitti, was an opposer of this cult"

Kana and Lucir both appeared in the dust behind Rann.

"By the suns of Tatooine...", Kana turned her eyes to the floor. Lucir dropped the kit and slumped against the wall.

After a moment of silence, Lucir suddenly pulled back from the opening, "Mourn later, Rann. Ikni San'kh is here". Lucir backed against the wall.

Kana and Tana both covered behind the bed, while Rann just stood by the bed with his DH-17 blast pistol ready.

They heard footsteps approaching the opening, followed by San'kh appearing.

"Ikni San'kh, you're under ar-", Lucir was interrupted by the fire from Rann. The Rodian walked backwards, staring at his chest before finally falling over the railing and off the cliff.

Kana disarmed Rann and knocked him down, "What's wrong with you?! You're not even crying!", she exclaimed. Lucir managed to stop her from further hurting Rann though.

"Calm down, Kana. Rann uses his Twi'lek side to master his emotions. Trust me, he's much more powerful that way", letting go of Kana, Lucir took a quick glance at Rann before leaving the room.

Rann sat up on the bed and Tana carried out Zach's body, leaving Kana to clean up the mess.


	2. The TaraSymbi

**Akramar, HyperSpace**

Rann was staring at the metal floor, away in his thoughts. Unable to fully realise what he had just done to a possibly innocent person. He hadn't noticed Lucir had left the cockpit and dropped down on the bench.

"Hey, Rann, snap out of it", he patted him on his back.

Rann stared at him, "What in the world am i going to tell the Colonel? Or the Sergeant for that sake?"

Leaning back, Lucir crossed his arms, "Don't worry. We'll say nothing of the Kultrian Collapse. Kana will look it up and see if there's any members of it that could have murdered your father"

Tana had woken up due to their speaking, and was now sitting up near the ramp of the ship.

"I used to know this Senator. Amanda Erovil. She was a member of the Kultrian Collapse. She went into hiding fifteen years ago though, so i'm not sure if she'd remember me. I was just a kid back then"

Both Rann and Lucir looked up in amazement, "You knew Senator Erovil? Impressive" it came from Lucir.

Confused, Tana got up and began approaching them, "Why is that so impressive?"

Grinning, Lucir leaned forth again, "She's my older sister, Tana". This caused Tana to stumble backwards and fall onto the bench behind her.

"You've gotta be kidding me", she exclaimed.

Lucir shook his head "Nope," he paused, "Amanda married herself into the Royal house of Erovil, the mining empire in the outer rim. Although, i do not know if she's still alive. Last i heard, she was heading into the uncharted regions to investigate the disappearance of our cousin"

Their conversation was interrupted by Kana calling from the cockpit, "On approach to Felucia now", she informed as the door opened.

--

As Akramar descended into the jungle, the Colonel popped up on the monitor.

"Sapphire's, there's no time to waste. We lost contact with the Fire Brigade, a transport that was to bring medicine to Corellia. We received this tranmission only minute ago... Sending now", he finished as a voice recording played.

_StaticWe lost contact with Delta 01 and Golf 05. They went to... Static_

_... Commander Kirash has decided to end the operation, we're returning home...Static_

_What?! The engine? How is that! The engine can't just explode!_

_Get it fixed! Right no...Static Someone is trying to break into... Oh blast..._

The tranmission ended.

"We've had no more communications with the ship. We need you guys to investigate and find out what happened to Commander Kirash and his team. Felucia Base Out"

Lucir sighed, "Better get to it then, right?"

As Lucir finished, the ramp opened and Sergeant Rert walked in, "I'm coming with you on this one. The freighter also had a specific person i need to bring to Coruscant".

--

**345 Years Ago, Unknown Planet, Mid-Rim**

The door was slowly rolling up as the hidden kingdom revealed itself, "Shak, Jana, you two move in first", the Captain turned to the third squadmember, "Reck, getting any readings?"

Reck shook his head, "Nothing. No sign of the TaraSymbi"

Turning his attention to the entrance, the captain waved out Shak and Jana, "We better close this off again then". The door began closing again as Reck gasped.

"There's seven... eight... sixty... five hundred... They're trying to escape!" he exclaimed.

The Captain began blindfiring into the room, but unfortunately, the TaraSymbi, an ancient specie, had already escaped and slaughtered Shak and Jana behind the Captain's back.

As he turned around, he saw Reck collapse as a figure materialized, "Raghar..." it grunted as it punched it's hand through the Captain.

--


	3. Decisions

Along with Sergeant Rert, two more members had been added to Rann's team; K'can, a Zabrak medic, and Lenka Sere, a human engineer.

As the Akramar dropped out of hyperspace, a Tartan cruiser came into sight. Most of the right side had been ripped off, and the ship was obviously without power.

"Private Kicelorn, Private K'can, and Private Tana, we'll drop you off through the airlock. Private Sere and Kana, come with me. Private Lucir, stay with the ship and make sure no one gets onboard", Rert ordered as the ship entered the hangar of the Tartan cruiser.

Stepping into the hangar, the first thing Rann noticed was a huge cable swaying above the ship, indicating someone had attempted to refuel a ship but was stopped halfway through.

Lucir opened a channel with them, "Gamma 01, confirm that you hear me"

Rann nodded, "Affirmative, Lucir. We hear you. Do you have a layout of the ship?"

"Negative. I'm detecting weak lifesigns from three decks above you"

Rann signaled for K'can to cut down the door to the lift, "All right, we'll check it out"

--

**Deck 1, The Fire Brigade**

Rert moved up to the wall as a shadow was cast on the wall. Kana and Lenka did the same, also noticing the shadow.

"Akramar to Gamma 02, i see three life signs around the corner", Lucir informed them.

"Affirmative. Radio silence until we're in the power room"

Moving around the corner, Rert noticed three bodies on the ground against the wall.

Kana moved up and felt for a pulse on one of them, "He's alive. But only barely," she continued toe examine him "This is impossible. His heart rhytm is increasing, but there's no signs of physical damage. It's as if he's been scared to near death state"

Nodding, Rert turned his attention to the hallway, "Lenka, come with me. Kana, stay with the injured and see if they wake up. We'll go see if we can get some power back on the ship"

Moving down the hall, Lenka noticed the ship was heading towards a star. "Sir, we should probably hurry up. I estimate we'll collide with the star in under two hours"

Rert nodded, "Thanks for the warning. Let me just see if this is it". He began fiddling around with a few wires, eventually hoping to hit the right one. After a few minutes, he found it and power returned to the ship.

--

"Kicelorn, power is back online. Do your job and lets get out of here", Rert ordered over the communications link.

Rann sighed, "I wonder why he's so pissed?"

He heard a small laughter behind him, "You really wish to know?", Tana asked and put her gun down.

"Of course i do"

Tana crossed her arms, "Sergeant Rert was once Colonel Rert. But due to a certain event on Coruscant that caused the destruction of five floors of an embassy, he was demoted to Sergeant. Guess who actually blew up the building"

Confused, Rann put down his gun too, "Tell me"

"Your own father. Rert promised to cover up for Zach, but he never expected to be demoted to Sergeant"

Rann scratched his head.

K'can poked him on the shoulder, "Rann, we're through to the bridge" he informed.

All they received was static. "Lucir, can you check the vital signs of Gamma 02?", Rann asked.

"Affirmative," Lucir turned right to check the vital signs, "They seem to be... gone. Wait... There's more lifesigns"

Rann took back his gun, "Where?"

Lucir began tapping on the controls quickly, "There's seven lifesigns moving your way. They're one deck below you! Quickly, get the information and get out of there! The ship seems to be speeding up it's descend into the star"

Turning around, Rann nodded to K'can,"Download the data now". Doing a spin, he turned to Tana, "Lock the door. We'll find another way to the hangar"

Tana nodded and closed the door, shooting the controls.

K'can swung around with a datachip, "Got it!"

Nodding, Rann fired at an entrance to the ventilation shaft, "Everybody, get in!"

Complying, the whole team dropped into the shaft leading down to the hangar. He never thought it'd go directly down, however, so the whole team hit the cold steel floor of the hangar.

"Rann, there's still no signs of Gamma 02, and we only have four minutes until we crash into the star", Lucir informed them from the ramp.

Backing up to the door, Rann made his decision, "The lives of this team is more important than the lives of someone that may not have survived. Everybody, get onboard".

As the Akramar left the hangar, watching the ship descend into the star before burning up, Rann sighed and dropped against the wall.

"Rann, if it's of any help, i did detect an odd energy burst right before the ship entered the stars gravitational field"

Rann looked up at Lucir, "We can't be sure it was them, and we can't risk going too close to the star. Get us back to Felucia, Lucir"


	4. Operation Dogtag, Part I

**Two months later, Above Felucia**

San'her was looking through some of the reports that Sapphire Force had turned in. The team now only consisted of Tana, now their pilot, Lucir, their demolitions expert, K'can, their computer expert, and Rann himself, promoted to Staff Sergeant.

"There's an inconsistency in your report, Sergeant" San'her looked up from the datapad.

"There is?" Rann leaned forth to look at the datapad.

San'her nodded and highlighted a sentence, "The report says that the planet looked like it was uninhabitable? Yet you designated it as a T2?"

"The planet looked like a gas giant, but computer scans said it was T2. Trust me, it wouldn't be of any use to us. It's not like it'll bring Kana or Sergeant Rert back, right?" Rann leaned back in the chair.

Nodding, the Colonel put down the datapad, "It's amazing you made it out alive though. Three encounters with the Collapse, and only once you lost someone. You even managed to retrieve a holocron"

Getting up from his chair, Rann shrugged and put on his coat, "Luck, i guess? When will the program be ready, Colonel?"

"Meet me before dawn tomorrow. We'll test it on a Collapse ship. For the first time, we'll actually enlist the aid of a Jedi Master, Sergeant"

--

As the sun appeared in the horizon, Rann and Lucir were getting ready while K'can and Tana had already left for the meeting.

"So, who do you think it'll be, Rann?" Lucir put on his vest and loaded his carbine.

Shrugging, Rann looked up from his locker, "Maybe one of the young ones? The Jedi Order is rather busy right now. Last time my family worked with a Jedi was a generation ago. I believe his name was Jer'hei"

Leaving the barracks, the two noticed that another team had met up for the briefing too. Field Officer Jaema, General Latosh, and even Senator Erovil had met up.

Lucir noticed Tana was keeping a distance from her sister, "Hey, Rann, mind if i just... Ask what's up with her?"

"Amanda called Tana the black sheep of the Erovil family. Just because she prefers being in the military rather than the Senate. I can't blame her. I don't like Senators", Rann explained.

They were both interrupted by San'her calling attention to himself, "As you may know, we're about to launch an attack on the Kultrian Collapse cruiser, An'har. It's heavily armed, and we cannot risk a full scale assault, so we're sending you. The best of Sapphire Force", he paused to get the reaction from the crowd.

"General Latosh will be commanding the second strike team from the ground, while Field Officer Jaema will be your intelligence for this mission. Senator Erovil will pose as a negotiator, distracting the captain", once more San'her paused.

Rann and Lucir noticed a man in a hood behind San'her.

"The second strike team will be led by Kyle Katarn. I expect nothing more than the best from you, Sergeant", Rann was shocked as San'her turned his attention to him.

As the teams began to board their strike ships, Rann noticed the hooded man speaking to San'her. But before he could look further, Lucir pushed him into the ship.

--

The ships uncloaked behind the Senator's ship, swiftly going under the ships scanners and extending their ramps to the airlocks. Rann's team moved first into the vents, while Katarn's team took through the halls.

Lucir grabbed Rann's arm, "Sir, listen to this". He flicked a switch on his wristband, and a transmission played.

_"Fancitti, i'm telling you, they'll find out sooner or later. We cannot keep this on hold for much longer. What..? Yes. That is correct. But i'm sure we'll be able to find some way to compensate for that. Please, give me one more hour"_

"Fancitti? That can't be..." Rann stared at Lucir, "Even if he survived, he'd have died of old age by now!"

Lucir shook his head, "It's true. I picked up his ID, and it seems he's not growing any older. Well, actually it's a she..."

Taking his wristband, Rann stared at the picture, "I should have expected..."

Rann dropped the wristband with the picture of Shelit and began moving forward towards the bridge.


	5. Operation Dogtag, Part II

"Fancitti found a holocron on Korriban underneath the Valley of the Sith. The Rebellion was only a small group, so they couldn't do anything. The holocron contained information about how you can contain your energy and transfer it to other beings," Rann explained.

Lucir looked up from the wristband, "And that's how he possessed your mother?". Rann only replied with a slight nod.

After pushing themselves through the vents for a few minutes, Lucir stopped and kicked himself through a grate.

A man in the closest cell looked up, "Lucir...?" he asked as he got up.

"Lenka?", Lucir responded and fired at the panel, unlocking the cell.

"We were captured..."

Lucir stopped Lenka, "No time. Where's Kana and Sergeant Rert?"

"Kana is being held somewhere near the bridge. Fancitti is interrogating her day and night", Lenka didn't get to finish his sentence before Lucir ran off. Rann looked down from the hole in the ceiling.

He reached out for Lenka, "And where's Rert?" he asked as he pulled him up.

"That's what i was about to tell him. He was the one that turned us in. He wanted revenge on you"

Rann shook his head in confusion, "Why? What have i done? Gah, doesn't matter. We gotta stop Lucir before it's too late"

--

Meanwhile, Shelit, possessed by Fancitti, was about to send down a team to get Lenka when Lucir bursted into the bridge.

"Who...?" she asked and grabbed the pistol of an officer.

Lucir responded by pulling his own pistol, "Don't move, Shelit. Your life doesn't matter to me, and neither does it matter to Rann"

She lowered her weapon and shrugged, "What do you want?"

"Where's Kana?", he put safety off on the pistol.

Expecting nothing but an instant response, Lucir fired at Shelit, hitting her in the leg. This caused the guards to raise their weapons once more.

"She's not here!" Shelit screamed as she fell down.

Loosing his patience, Lucir walked up to her and took aim once more, "You liar!" he exclaimed as he took another shot, hitting her head. This caused the guards to open fire at Lucir, forcing him to take cover behind the railing.

--

"Sergeant! I'm under fire from the guards!", Lucir called over the radio as he blindfired at the guards.

Knowing that this was an emergency, Rann grabbed Lenka's arm and dragged him along, "Hold on, Lucir, we're almost at your position!"

The firefight became clearer the closer they got. Right when they rounded a corner, it all stopped. Fearing the worst, Rann kicked the bottom of the vent down, dropping onto the bridge. As he did, he fired two shots, hitting both guards and killing them instantly.

He ran up to where Lucir was lying. He kneeled down and began checking his wounds, "It's just a minor wound, Lucir. You'll be all right", he comforted as he began removing his armor.

As he reached for a bacta injection, he looked up at Lenka, "Grab a weapon and cover the doors". In reply, Lenka simply nodded and took Lucir's pistol, running over to a panel to use for cover.

"Did you find Kana?", Rann asked while he was treating his wounds. Lucir sighed and shook his head.

In the same moment, Katarn's team also entered the bridge with Senator Erovil.

"Move away, Sergeant. Let me do this" Kyle ordered as he pushed Rann away from Lucir.

Knowing he had done all he could, he decided to find out why the Senator was with Katarn's team. "Weren't you supposed to distract them, Senator?"

Amanda sighed, "The General didn't brief you, it seems? Understandable. Your incompetence has been proven, Sergeant", her sight moved to the dead Shelit on the floor.

"Latosh lost his trust in Sapphire Force after the Coruscant Explosion that got Rert demoted. Shelit was a valuable asset to the Kultrian Collapse, but she was not the leader. And with both Kana and Rert missing, we have some serious trouble", Amanda explained as she closed Shelits eyes.

--

**New Republic Embassy, Manaan, Seven Hours Later**

Amanda Erovil handed over the rank patch to Rann, "Welcome to the ranks, Lieutenant Kicelorn"

Rann saluted and looked to the bandaged Lucir to his left, "I hear you're requesting a transfer to the 41st Special Unit?"

Even though he had intended to keep it a silent case, Lucir nodded, "I think i'll be able to do more good than harm in the Special Unit. I realise this means Sapphire Force-"

He was interrupted by Rann, "Sapphire Force has been dissolved. Lenka has been promoted to Lance Corporal and moved to the Academy for Special training. I'm going to be working with the Galactical Alliance Fleet Intelligence"

Nodding, Lucir saluted and left the stage, leaving Rann with Amanda and Latosh.

Sighing, Rann turned his sight to the floor, "I couldn't tell him, could i, Senator?"

She shook her head and gave him a pat on the shoulder, "Kana will be found, don't worry. But your work must be kept a secret for anyone but the Galactic Alliance Fleet Intelligence"

He nodded and left the stage the same way he had entered. When he left the building, he turned around and looked at the patch clenched in his hand, before turning to the shuttle awaiting his entry.


	6. Ikni San'th, Part I

Seven years had passed since the Collapse last appeared in the galaxy. Lucir had mysteriously disappeared, Tana had been sent to jail for killing a Jedi, and K'can was leading a corporation known as _The Corellian Mercenary Society_.

The remaining branches of the New Republic had been reorganized into the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances. After a horrible defeat to the Corellian Mercenary Society, Rann had requested a transfer to Tatooine as a guard of the embassy.

--

**Orbit over Corellia, 0200 Hours**

"Sir, i don't think it's such a good-" the Pilot noticed the anger in his masters face.

Rert kicked the pilot, "Do as i tell you to. Contact TCMS now, and alert me when they're through. I wish to speak to K'can"

The Zabrak appeared on the monitor wearing a mechanical eye patch, a souvenir from Rann. Shocked from seeing the face of a person he thought to be dead, he backed off.

"Rert? But you're supposed to be dead...?"

The former Sergeant just shook his head and smiled, "That's what you thought, eh? No, K'can, i've been alive but trapped. Trapped with the Collapse"

K'can's expression faded from shock into interest, "And why do you wish to speak to me?"

"I have a _job_ for your organization. I've heard of a certain incident that caused you to lose your eye to Rann Kicelorn, is that right?"

--

**Five years earlier, Kuat Smuggler Station**

K'can grabbed a rifle from the rack and looked up at Rann, "Ready, Lieutenant?"

Nodding, Rann opened the door and their teams began to raid the compound of smugglers and thugs.

Rann's team moved left, while K'can's team moved right. Both covering eachother as they moved through the facility, capturing the smugglers holding it. Reaching the core, K'can noticed a cylinder on the bottom of the dome.

"Lieutenant, i think we have a possible bomb", he informed Rann over the radio.

"Affirmative, K'can. Stay put, i'll be there in a moment!"

A few moments passed as the team waited for their officer. Kneeling down to the bomb, K'can noticed a timer ticking down to under a minute.

One of the riflemen put his hand on K'cans shoulder, "Sir, maybe we should wait for Lieutenant Kicelorn?"

Shaking his head, K'can began experimenting, "There's no time. Literally, there's no time!"

In the same second, Rann and his team swung down from the catwalk above the core. "Step aside, K'can!" Rann ordered, pushing K'can away from the bomb.

"Hey, what are you-"

Ignoring his protests, Rann began working on disarming the bomb. In an attempt to get his attention, K'can put his hand on his pistol and attempted to push Rann away. In response, Rann shot his elbow backwards, hitting K'can in the right eye.

He fell backwards onto the floor, causing Rann to finally turn around, "Oh sh...", he never got to finish his sentence as the bomb ticked down to ten seconds.

One of the teammembers took over, disarming the bomb as Rann examined K'can's head. "I'm sorry, K'can...", he mumbled as K'can fell unconsious.

When he woke up, Rann and his team was gone, along with the core and bomb. He had been left alone with a blind right eye, and no weapons. Betrayed by his former commander.

--

K'can looked up from the control panel, "All right, Rert, what do you wish?"

A statisfied Rert began laughing, "Perfect!", he turned around to take something from one of the engineers, "This emitter will emit a signal paralyzing Humanoids. Place it on Kashyyyk, near the abandoned tree top villages. I'll lure Kicelorn out of his hiding"

Nodding, K'can turned off the transmission. He swung around in his chair, grabbing the lightsaber to his right, "Get me Ikni San'th. I feel it is appropiate for the mercenary that killed Zach Kicelorn, to follow up and kill his son too"

The Ithorian nodded and ran off, exiting through the blast door.


	7. Ikni San'th, Part II

**Ka'knar Village, Kashyyyk**

The sun was setting behind the huge treetops of the forest. A Galactic Alliance ship was setting down on the landing pad as a flock of birds left the village. As the ramp lowered, two men, both in hoods, walked out.

"Is this the place? Why would the Collapse want to show their face again?" the man in white hood asked, looking at the broken down gates to the village.

The other man, clad in a dark blue robe, shrugged, "I'm not sure. Though it could have something to do with the death of Shelit"

As they walked into the village, they both got the feeling of being watched. Shadows of wookiees, and even sullustans, seemed to be stalking them as they made their way to the plaza where their contact was to meet them.

Setting foot in a Wookiee village, even one that was abandoned, was a daring thing to do. Exiled Wookiee's and criminals sometimes used them as training facilities, and several teams had been lost before.

They were greeted by a Wookiee statue holding a Vibroblade with the name _Chieftain Marr'kur _inscriped on the blade. From the hut, a person clad in blinding armor approached them.

"A pleasure to see you again, Rann" K'can removed his helmet to get a better view of the hooded men.

They just looked at each other before pulling down their hoods. But instead of Rann, K'can was greeted with his former teammate, Lucir, and his former commander, Latosh.

Latosh smiled, "Having sunken so low, K'can?"

The Zabrak just shook his head and ignited his lightsaber.

"You never told us you were able to wield a lightsaber?", Lucir backed off.

He just laughed, "I took a few lessons under a rogue Jedi. Turns out i'm somewhat of a natural at using a lightsaber", he leaped at Latosh but was stopped by a shot to the thigh.

Rann approached the three from the shadows, holding up his commlink, "All right, Lenka, we got the prisoner. Contact the others"

"Right as we planned", Lucir lifted up the stunned K'can

The ship they had arrived in descended onto the Plaza, allowing the team to board it.

--

Ikni watched as the ship escaped, "Commander, they took him away. Requesting permission to follow?"

Rert sighed, "Negative. I know exactly where they're heading," he turned around "Set course to Felucia"

--

**Abandoned New Republic Base, Felucia**

As K'can opened his eyes, he was met by a bright light shining into his eyes.

"Rann, you pathetic ex-", he was interrupted by the light being turned off.

Two persons infront of him was talking, one of them obviously being Rann, the other one possibly Latosh.

"Look, Lieutenant, the Collapse fleet is on approach. Most of our fleets are scattered, and we only have a few ships remaining", Latosh sighed and looked at K'can, "Five ships at most. Two Star Destroyers, and four Mon Calamari cruisers is all we can spare"

Rann nodded, "Make it so, General. We'll make sure to give the Collapse a run for their cause"

He turned around and smiled as he approached K'can, "Betrayal is an interesting thing, K'can" Rann picked up a blaster pistol from the top of the malfunctioning terminal to his right, "It tends to fall back on you"

"You'd never kill me. That's not the way of the Galactic Alliance. Torturing and killing prisoners" K'can laughed.

This caused Rann to join in on his laughter, "Time's has changed, K'can. And maybe the Galactic Alliance frown upon executions, but i don't. Especially not when people i care about is killed"

Taking aim, Rann's expression changed to a more serious one, "Where is Kana?"

"Why would i know?", K'can asked, as he began to panic.

"Wrong answer", Rann pulling the trigger on the pistol, finishing off K'can.

Leaving the room, he threw the pistol to Lucir, "K'can was killed on Coruscant in a shuttle crash. His body was never recovered, Lucir"

Lucir nodded and holstered the pistol, preparing for the upcoming battle with the collapse.


	8. Lost Heroes

**Bridge, Star Destroyer **_**Ignitus**_

General Kane Latosh, Lieutenant Rann Kicelorn, and Lucir Hea, the three most hated persons by the Kultrian Collapse, were preparing for the battle ahead. Five large Kultrian Collapse cruiser were about to drop out of hyperspace, and the resources for the Alliance were sparse.

Putting down his datapad, Rann looked to Latosh, "How could we let the Collapse go this long? Why didn't we destroy them three decades back?"

The elderly General shook his head, "We thought they had died. When Fancitti was stabbed, and the crew died, we thought Shelit and Zach were the only survivors of the ship. Turns out we were wrong"

All three took a last glance out of the Imperial Stardestroyer's window. One by one, five huge ships appeared out of nowhere.

"This ends tonight, Lieutenant", Latosh gave Rann a pat on his shoulder before leaving.

One of the pilots ran up to Lucir, "We just detected an energy fluctuation nearby. It could be a cloaked shuttlecraft, should we fire at it?"

Rann shook his head, "Let it come. I think i know who it is"

--

**Akramar II, Hangar Bay 05, Star Destroyer **_**Ignitus**_

The first Akramar ship had been destroyed during an operation on Illum, but as a gift, Rann had arranged the construction of a new ship, Akramar II. It looked like a crossover from an A-Wing and a YT-2400 freighter. The interior looked exactly like a YT-2400, except for the cockpit.

Lucir entered the cockpit, "We've been cleared for departure, Cor" He dropped into the pilots seat, opposite of his second pilot, Cor Batler.

The ship lifted off and hovered out through the hangar bay shields. Once outside, Cor activated the ships engines and cloaking system.

A hologram flickered and appeared behind them, "I hope you know what you're doing, Lucir", Rann stated as he expressed his worries.

"Don't worry, Lieutenant. The cloaking will keep us from getting picked up by ships and sensors" Lucir assured his commander and shut off the hologram.

--

Back on the Ignitus, the ship had entered red alert. All guns were armed, and the ship was prepared to engage the collapse.

Rann ran his hand through his hair as the Collapse ships were arming their own weapons. He was interrupted by his second in command.

"Sir, seven boarding shuttles on approach! Should we shoot them down?"

Rann shook his head, "Negative. This is a fight we have to take personal. We only have to buy enough time for Lucir to destroy the main ship"

He turned around and ordered two of his soldiers with him as they entered the turbolift, heading down to the hangar.

--

Akramar soon landed in the hangar of the main ship, uncloaking the ship. He and Cor both jumped out of the escape hatch, sneaking past the soldiers. Cor snuck away towards the engines, while Lucir proceeded to the bridge to finish his former Sergeant.

It wasn't long before Lucir reached the bridge, but Rert had foreseen this action and locked off the bridge.

"Cor, i need you to overload the power reactor. I need to gain access to the bridge", he ordered.

In the power room, Cor was already deep in the system. It only took him seconds to overload the power reactor, causing a shutdown of the ships door locks, allowing Lucir access to the bridge.

As soon as the doors opened, Lucir stunned both the guards and tackled Rert, holding him on the floor, "I've wanted to do this for a wh-".

Lucir was interrupted when he realised the Rert he was holding down was a dummy. Before he could react, Lenka grabbed him by the neck.

"It's been a while, old friend", Lenka pushed a blaster pistol against Lucir's back.

Unable the get out of his grip, Lucir resorted to a last option. He kicked backwards, causing Lenka to fire. As he fired, Lucir took his arm and threw him into one of the windows on the bridge, causing them both to get sucked into the vacuum of space.

Because of the ships crew being drawn to the bridge by the fighting, Cor had been able to rig the ships hyperdrive engine to overload once he the Akramar left the ship.

--

On Ignitus, the Alliance was beginning to lose the battle. Rann and Latosh had both barricaded within the cargo hold as the Collapse were trying to cut open the door.

"I hope you have a plan, Kicelorn" Latosh sighed as he pulled a pack out of his blaster rifle.

Shaking his head, Rann dropped against a crate "For once, i don't. They're too many. Three ships down, and this one is beginning to lose orbit. All we can do is hope Lucir and Cor got the hyperdrive rigged"

He looked up as the doors fell down. In the cloud of dust, four figures appeared, two of them seemingly commanding the other two. As they got closer, Rann recognized both faces.

Kana gave a quick glance at Rann, "How low have we fallen?", she took a shot at Latosh, hitting him in the chest.

The other, Rert, walked up to Rann and grabbed him by the throat, "You tried to kill the Kultrian Collapse, but failed. Quite funny really! I'll give you to Mister San'th"

As he hit the floor, Rann noticed the Rodian mercenary, Ikni San'th appeared in the dust. Once he got close, Rann received a kick in the stomach, followed by being picked up and thrown into the wall.

"He's not going to kill him, is he?" Kana asked and walked up to Rert's side.

Rert grinned, "Why? Of course he is. That's the whole meaning of it"

Kana's expression changed to a much more angry one as she took her pistol from it's holster. Somehow, Rert had sensed this and disarmed her, followed by the lightsaber of Jer'hei being pushed against her stomach and ignited.

"Do you really think i did not know? I'm the last leader of the Collapse, and Fancitti gave me the lightsaber of Jer'hei right before he died the first time. I expected you to try and kill me, Kana", he turned off the lightsaber, letting Kana collapse gasping onto the floor.

Meanwhile, San'th had turned his attention from Rann to Kana, allowing his victim to kick him away. Rann grabbed San'th pistol from it's holster and took a single shot, hitting the Rodian in his head.

Hearing the shot, Rert turned his attention to Rann "Seem's like it's you, and me, Kicelorn". He leaped at Rann, slashing with the lightsaber. Rann dodged by rolling behind a crate.

"I'm not going to let you live, Rert" Rann noticed the cylinder containing carbonite, which gave him an idea. He leaped over the crate and directly into the open cargo hold.

Rert charged at Rann, tackling him and pushing him into a crate before slashing again. Once more, Rann dodged by ducking and pushing rert away. The crate broke open, revealing an ancient spear that was supposed to be delivered to the Coronet Museum.

Rann charged at Rert, causing him to stumble backwards. Unexpectedly, Rert reponded with kicking Rann backwards, directly onto the ancient spear he had just cut open. Rann's eyes widened as he felt the stinging pain.

Laughing, Rert turned off the lightsaber and walked up to his impaled friend. Just as he was about to speak, the impaled Rann put all weight on his upper body, kicking Rert in full force backwards into the cylinder with Carbonite. The cylinder broke, and the carbonite poured onto Rert, forever incasing him in it.

--

**One hour later...**

"Captain, i think i found them..." an Alliance soldier stepped over the doors and into the cargo hold. The first thing he noticed was the man in carbonite.

Captain Supim followed the trooper and took a quick glance as he walked into the room.

He walked up to the body of Rann, "Both General Latosh and Lieutenant Kicelorn... Dead..."

The soldier sighed, "Should we call the medic team?"

Supim nodded, pulling Rann off the spear, placing him on the ground infront of it.


	9. Epilogue: Awakening

**Telos Beach, Five Days Later**

Looking like he had been washed up by the water, a man was lying unconsious by the beach. Two persons, a man and a woman, had already dragged him up from the water and were waiting for him to wake up.

He was blinded by the bright sun as he opened his eyes. Unable to see the figure properly, the elder man poured water onto his face, "Hey, wake up!" he commanded.

"I... recognize you..." the washed up claimed confused.

The elder man walked up to the younger woman to inform her, "I think he may have amnesia. Usually happens after they've gotten their hands on you. Same happened to us".

The younger woman nodded and smiled as she walked up to the man, "I'm Amanda, Amanda Erovil", she gave him a hand up.

"I know you... I think", he exclaimed and backed off, "But you're... I...".

Amanda grabbed him as he was about to fall, "Take it easy. The organization has had their hands on you for quite some time. Now, let me explain. This man is Zach Kicelorn", she motioned towards the elderly General.

"The organization you were captured by performs _miracles_, as you call them. Do you remember anything?", she asked and gave him a pat on the shoulder.

He slowly nodded, "You were a senator... That man was a General in the New Republic... And i was...", he collapsed once more, "Lucir Hea..."

Amanda nodded, turning his sight towards a small island not far out with a facility carrying the letters _The Kultrian Medical Research Facility_...

- The End!


End file.
